The Beginning Fantasy
by B. K. Siver
Summary: When a girl from our world is summoned by Zack and Aeris to the realm of Final Fantasy VII, she must give them what they want: Cloud's happiness. But how can she do that when she hasn't the slightest idea as to how she got there and how to get back home?
1. My Beginning Fantasy

Boy, am I tired! For real! This story is based off a dream I had and I couldn't get it out of my mind. I know that nobody except my friends might read this because a girl gets taken to the world of Final Fantasy VII. I know, it's original, right? Well, when your parents are at a wedding, and your little brothers are at a birthday party and it's only you and the coolest uncle in the world, you get lots of time to think. I mean, it's not like I didn't think about this until today, but I was bored and I didn't really feel like doing my school project yet. Anyways, for those who actually clicked on it, I guess you should get on with the reading. You can go ahead and leave comments, it doesn't matter. This was just for fun. If people like it, I'll continue it... if I'm motivated enough. Half the stuff in this chapter is true, some of it isn't.

-- B. K. Siver

P. S. Sorry, Kikiru... it's in first person... but I couldn't help it!

* * *

"Night, Mama!" I said to her as I gave her a hug and kiss goodnight. She did the same, and I laid down. Mama did the same thing to my friend. " Man, Allana, didn't we have fun at the convention, or what?" I exclaimed, still in my Chinese outfit.

She smiled, " Yeah! You were so cheap though. You had so much money, Brittney!"

I took off my Kilala ears and laid down with my pre- Advent Children Cloud. The one from the game. " Yeah... about that... look who has fifty bucks left over! Not you!" I told her jokingly.

She got out her Hikaru plushie from _Ouran High School Host Club_. To me, that was _the _most adorable thing I'd ever seen, next to my Cloud plushie, or course! " Hey, Brittney..." she began to drift off and stared at all my plushies: Edward, Kyo, Inuyasha, Kilala, and Toma-Toma and Cloud. "Hey, Brittney! Wanna have a plushie party?" she asked excitedly.

It was our last night seeing each other before we would have to take her to the airport, so anything sounded fun. " Yep! A plushie party sounds fun!" I agreed excitedly. I was in my pajamas now, but I still held the picture of the all of us( well, Cloud held it) and I was still wearing my Dragonforce wristband.

I got on her air mattress and we assembled our plushies. Both of us agreed that Edward would be the leader of " The He-Man She Haters Club" with other members Hikaru, Kyo, Inuyasha, Toma-Toma, and Cloud. Edward made Kilala an honorary male for the day. I had fun with our plushies. Cloud and Edward were fighting over my love, and Kilala was the only one who bet on Edward... he won the plushie fight, and Kilala got rich.

Our laughs would never end, and I didn't want this day to end, either. Tomorrow my family would take Allana to the airport and she'd go home... her new home... technically. I was surprised at how fast time went by: It was 12:30 AM! We were at the convention from 9 AM to 6-7 PM... and we were _tired._ Allana and I were yawning beyond relief... actually, we were crying because we were yawning so much.

"Um, Brittney," she started with another yawn, " Sorry. Brittney, I'm tired. I mean _really _tired."

"Same here." I mumbled as I drifted to sleep.

"Mind if I go to sleep? Or if we go to sleep?"

I was dozing off already, " Go for it..." She turned off the lights and I hugged my Cloud plushie with me, with him still holding the picture of all of us: Me, Allana, Kim, and Cassi. I laughed as I started to sleep, remembering all the fun we had today.

I could hear Allana move in her bed, trying to get comfortable. " Goodnight, Brittney." she told me.

"Yeah... good...night..." I mumbled and that was it. I was stone. As in, my body was rock, I don't even think an earthquake could have moved me!

* * *

" _Well, what did I tell you, Zack? I think she's perfect for him. She's smart and knows him very well, don't you think?" _

"_I don't know. What will happen when she wakes up? I mean, she won't be in her home– her own world for that matter."_

"_All we have to do is watch over her until she completes our wish. After that, she gets a wish, whatever she wants, and that'll be it. I hear this summoning thing works like a charm for people who want something really bad in the afterlife."_

"_How do you suppose this girl is going to keep Cloud happy? She's much to young for him."_

" _That's not what I meant, silly. She's smart, I'm sure she'll figure something out."_

"_I hope so, Aeris. You're only taking her away from her home."_

" _Well, she can wish to come back _after _she succeeds in our wish. I know she can do it."

* * *

_

I woke up really, really cold for some reason. _Odd..._ _my room is always hot._ However, it took me a second to realize that I wasn't in my room. The walls were brown and the curtains were the picnic material. Even the bed's sheets were plaid. I looked at my hands, shocked, when they looked real, but... weren't. They felt real, and so did everything else. Was this a dream?

_It can't be, I'm being too analytical. _

There were pictures in crayon that looked like they were drawn by children. It had a guy that had yellow spikes... was it a chocobo? I realized who it was: Cloud. That's when I scrambled for my Cloud plushie. To my relief, he was with me, with the picture of my friends and I in his little arms, as was my Dragonforce wristband was still on my wrist. I immediately hid Cloud under the covers.

_This dream is pretty accurate for a dream..._

My face shot everywhere in the room, frantically, searching for something familiar. Nothing. It was all brand new to me. I started hyperventilating out of fear. Was I kidnapped, then? And if so, why didn't the alarm go off? If it did... why didn't anybody come after me? The thought of my family not caring scared me. I began to cry, which then turned to screaming.

I heard someone running up the stares frantically, and I hid under the covers, shaking uncontrollably. " Hey, are you OK?" said a woman's voice. It sounded urgent, yet caring enough, so I peaked out my head. " What's wrong?! Are you hurting?!" she asked urgently.

My voice was broken, somehow. I couldn't speak when I saw her face. Her brown eyes and black hair looked all too familiar to me. Her voice was normal for me to hear, too. It was as though I had met her before. I didn't need anybody to tell me who she was. It scared me to think that I was standing face to face with Tifa Lockheart.

"Are you mute?" she asked quietly that time.

I took the deepest breath of my life. " No. It's just... I..." tears began to swell up in my eyes, " I don't know how I got here! This isn't where I slept last night!"

Tifa gave me a strange look and held my hand in comfort. " As far as I know, this is the only room you have slept in. You were walking around in the soaking rain, as though it were nothing."

I shook my head, " But I was in _my _room last night. In _my _house, in _my _bed! How could I have gotten here, when I was sleeping in my room?

She sighed and looked at me, " An event must have really traumatized you, right?" I shook my head again, re-explaining everything. " Well, you were wandering in the rain, and you banged on the bar door, even though it was closed. After I heard you knock harder and harder, I was about to tell you to leave, but then you collapsed into my arms, and you were unconscious. Ever since then, you've been in this room, sleeping." She looked at the picture of my friends and I. " Are these your friends? Do you have family?"

I looked down, and started crying again, and she embraced me. " I know. I know what it's like. It's OK. I know." she comforted. I couldn't be strong, not for a total "stranger."

"It's not that I don't..." I managed to say, " It's just... they aren't here. They're back at... home. I have to get back home..."

Tifa let me go and made me look her in the eyes. " Well, I'll make an offer to you." I listened and shot up instantly. " Until we can find a way to get you home," she explained, " you can live with me and Cloud. All right?"

My face lit up a little when she said "...live with Cloud." I was glad inside that my fangirl-ness was still inside me, even though I was in the realm of Final Fantasy VII.


	2. Backgrounds

People like what I've written so far, so I hope that you like this chapter! I'm hoping to do a three-part series of this, but that's if people like it. So far, 2/2 people like it. T- hank you for clicking on an "original" story!

-- B. K. Siver

* * *

I had so many questions to ask Tifa: Did you love Cloud? What's it like living here? I knew I couldn't do that though. To her, I'm a total stranger and she has never met me before. It would be kind of awkward to ask her questions about her personal life that I already knew, even if she didn't tell me already. " I made breakfast," Tifa said to me sweetly, " You can come down, if you want."

My stomach growled furiously. I guess back home, I was so excited from the convention that I forgot to eat, even though I didn't eat anything that day. "I'm such a pig..." I sighed as I shook my head and got out of the bed. The clothes I was wearing were different, I couldn't believe I didn't notice it before!

_I like these better than the ones I usually wear!_

When I got downstairs, the table was empty, with Tifa being the only exception. " Help yourself." she offered kindly. I sat down obediently, only to remember that I needed a plate and fork. " Oh, no, I've got it." Tifa assured me. _She's way more polite in person!_ I thought, _Well, if you can call a computer- generated person real..._

"So, um..." I began, trying not to call her by her name.

"Tifa. I'm Tifa Lockheart. Nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand to shake.

"I'm Brittney," I replied as I shook her hand, " I'm sorry about barging in, I guess. I can't thank you enough for what you've done for me, Miss Tifa."

She began to giggle under her breath, " No need to be so formal!" She smiled at me again, " You can just call me 'Tifa.' It's no problem."

I looked around the house, which looked pretty small in Advent Children. It was a little bigger in "real life" and I couldn't help but stare. " This is such a nice house." I complimented.

"It's small, but it's still home." she agreed. There were more pictures of Cloud and Tifa in crayon on the fridge, as I looked around. " Marlene and Denzel drew those. They're at our friend Barret's house. They're pretty young. Younger than you, at least." she explained to me, " How old are you?"

"Fifteen." was all I said, remembering my birthday party.

"Fifteen..." Tifa looked like she was reminiscing, it looked like. _Probably remembering her days in AVALANCHE, _I thought. " I remember being fifteen. It was a lot of fun. If you don't mind me asking, where did you come from?"

I put down my fork and remembered the hot desert I loved being in. " I'm... not sure. I don't think you would believe me..."

"Try me!" she tested.

I sighed, " Well, this is Gaia, isn't it?" Tifa nodded in response. " Well, I'm not exactly from here... I mean, all of Gaia." She smiled kindly again, most likely wondering how sane I was. "What I mean is," I rushed, trying to convince her my sanity was perfect, " I'm nothing but a desert rat."

She tilted her head in question, " A desert rat?"

" I mean, I was born in the desert, raised in the desert, and I was hoping to die in the desert." I explained. " Is there any place on Gaia like that?"

"Yeah, of course." Tifa told me.

I shook my head, how was I going to explain this to her? "Well, I'm from a different world. Another one. I'm not sure how I got here."

Her glowed with curiosity at that moment. " What's the desert like? I mean, weather wise?"

"Awful. We only got eight inches of rain per year, and that's on average. Our season schedule is this: Hot, cold, hot, then hotter. But I loved every moment of it." She tilted her head again, pondering. " You see, people from other areas began to move to the desert because it was perfect land; There were no earthquakes, no hurricanes, no tornadoes. They only thing that was bad were the sandstorms."

Tifa looked absolutely skeptical. " Why would anybody want to move to Hell?" she asked jokingly.

I laughed, too, remembering a joke my grandmother told me. " That's what I want to know..._ Californians..._" I mumbled under my breath. " Uh, Tifa?" I asked, " What about you? Did you always live here?" As though I needed to be taught that. Everybody knew where she was from. Nevertheless, she began to tell me her life story. It wasn't that I wasn't interested, but I had already known this, and acting like a total unknown was tearing me up. _After I get to know them, it'll end._

"What about this 'Cloud?'" I asked with a little glow in my eyes. I hated pretending not knowing who he was, it made my heart jump. Knowing that I was going to meet the real Cloud Strife. " Would he mind if I stayed here? I don't want to empose..."

Tifa gave me a sarcastic look again, " Oh, you're not! He wouldn't mind. Cloud isn't here that often anyways..." her look changed from happiness to sadness. She shook her head, most likely getting rid of her thoughts, " That reminds me! I have to call him!"

My breakfast was done by then, and I washed the plate and put it in the sink. " Oh, I know you don't have clothes, so I let you have some of mine." she told me. It made me think how she said _have _instead of _borrow_.

"Thanks." was all I said as I walked upstairs to freshen up for the day. I could hear Tifa talking on the phone with Cloud, explaining everything. From the sounds of it, he was pretty cool with me staying here until I could find a way to get home. _I'm surprised he actually answered the phone, _I smiled as I walked into the room I came into. The bed wasn't made, and I could see my Cloud plushie's leg dangling from the side of the bed. " Well, I felt the food in my mouth," I explained to my plushie, " and it tasted _really _good. It can't be a dream... can it?"

The closet was on my right side, and I got out the clothes Tifa let me have. " I think these are the ones she wears now..." I said and noticed there was a mirror on the other side of the room. My features hadn't really changed all that much in this world. My eyes were a little bigger, and I was still chunky. My hair was different, though. The curls were a lot curlier, but they were perfect curls. At home, my brown curls were like a corkscrew, and my hair wasn't this shiny.

_Shiny works; I like shiny!_

I made the bed after I got dressed, and grabbed my Cloud plushie, and I looked at my wrist with my Dragonforce wristband. These were all I had from my home, my friends, and the good times I had. There was a drawer next to the bed, and I immediately hid Cloud in there. " I know it's dark," I talked to the plushie, " But it's the only solution I know... at least until I get things sorted out." I also put the picture of my friends in there, just for safe-keeping.

After freshening up, I ran downstairs again, hoping Tifa would need my help. " How do you do that?" I heard in the other room. It was Tifa's voice. I followed the noise and walked in the bar. " How do you run up and down the stairs without making any noise?"

I thought for awhile, _I still have my talents! _"Well, I'm not exactly sure. I just have my feet go _pat, pat, pat_ quickly, but slow enough so that I don't fall, and that's how I do it." I explained.

She smiled as she cleaned the counter, " I think Cid will like you. You seem really smart." I smiled at that, hoping that the others would like me. "By the way," Tifa began, " We have to go shopping for your clothes and other stuff today. Do you mind?"

I smiled really big, " Nope! Not at all!"


	3. Meeting

I feel loved! People really like it! Well, then, I guess I am _obliged _to finish it... hopefully. It'll probably be awhile, though. But that's better for you guys, isn't it?

--B. K. Siver

* * *

Today was the day that Marlene and Denzel would come back from Barret's house. To my surprise, I was actually excited about meeting them. I mean, in my world, I didn't really know them that much. In the novel, I skipped Barret's part and read half of Denzel's, but I mostly read Tifa's part. I would also get to meet Barret today. "Do you think they'll like me, Tifa?" I asked her. That was stupid of me.

"Of course! You're pretty cool. They'll probably look up to you." Tifa assured me. It had been four days since I had arrived to Midgar, and I had yet to meet the famous Cloud Strife. Tifa had said that he would be home soon... but she could never be sure on that.

We went out grocery shopping in the marketplace, which was really cramped up space wise. Also, people were coming out of nowhere! " Don't get lost, now." she told me, but in a joking matter, " I've told Marlene and Denzel about you, Brittney. They're pretty excited to meet you."

She paid for the groceries and we walked around a bit, just trying to find out more about each other. "Those girls in the picture with you... who were they?" she asked.

I couldn't believe that I had stopped thinking about them already. And Allana... what about her? Did she go to the airport on Sunday? What does my family think I'm doing? "Those were my friends at a convention we went to. Actually, we were at my house when we did this." I started to laugh to myself, " I can't believe Kim got those pictures developed and she even gave them to us that night... ah, good times..."

" You must miss your family a lot." Tifa said, " How big was it? How many brothers and sisters do you have?"

I choked with laughter when she asked me that question. _She really, truly wants to know? _"Well, if you really wanna know..." I sighed, " I have three parents: a mom, a dad, and a stepdad. I lived with my mama and stepdad, and my uncle." I paused, making sure Tifa wanted to hear more.

"Continue."

"Anyways, I have..." I counted on my fingers to make sure I got them all, " Three... four... five... five brothers and one sister." Her eyes were huge. " But I'm the oldest!" I bragged.

"Wow... wow... six siblings? Are you joking?" I shook my head. " I was an only, so was Cloud, but... wow! And you're number one." she managed to say.

We started telling each other about our families, our friends, and the like. Until we approached a church: Aeris's Church. "What happened here?" I asked, trying to be innocent.

Tifa walked inside, " That's for another time."

_Good thing I know what happened, then._

I saw the flowers that were inside the church. They were beautiful in Advent Children, but inside, from my actual eyes, they were gorgeous, especially since Tifa and Loz weren't fighting in it. " These flowers are beautiful, Tifa!" I exclaimed. She remained quiet, and picked one.

"The one at the house is starting to die. I need another one." she said dreamily. That was odd. I never did see a flower like these ones in the house. Then again, I haven't been inside Tifa's room yet, or Cloud's for that matter. " They're... for a friend." she explained and started walking out, " You can pick one, too," she told me as she turned around, " but hurry up."

It was so hard to pick just one flower. I would've picked a bouquet for myself, if Tifa weren't waiting outside for me. Rather than pick a flower, I wandered around the church for a little bit. _I'm exploring, that's it._ Some urge said that I had to explore the church. When I walked back to the little meadow of flowers, my head began to get dizzy. _Maybe I should... sit down..._

Total blackout.

* * *

"_Well,_ _well. It's the girl... Brittney, wasn't it?" _

_I heard a voice. His wasn't as familiar as Tifa's had been. Who was he? I couldn't move, or open my eyes_, _and I was drifting off to unconsciousness. I felt a kind touch of soft skin on my forehead, like a mother checking her child's fever. _

"_Mama?" I managed to whisper._

_There was a sigh that belonged to a woman. "I'm sorry." she told me softly._

_Her voice... it was familiar... soft, gentle, kind... who did it belong to? Not my mother, that was sure._

"_I told you this wouldn't work." the man's voice said, " She can't do it."_

_The woman laughed softly, " Oh, I think she can."I mumbled a little to myself, not even knowing what I said. "I'm positive she can."_

_They were both talking about me doing something. What was it? What did I have to do? "Do...what..." I whispered again...

* * *

_

I shot out of bed, looking around the room. The window was dark with the night sky. I guess I was back home... at least, with Tifa. My senses were way out of wack, especially since I was half-asleep. "Tifa?" I managed to say. Nobody made any noises of recognition in the hallway, so I walked downstairs hoping that somebody was home.

"Brittney!" I heard Tifa yell excitedly, " Here we go, guys. Denzel, Marlene, Barret, meet Brittney. Brittney, meet Denzel, Marlene, and Barret." I stuck out my hands to shake, and Barret had a tight grip!

"Oh my gosh, Tifa, I'm so sorry about that nap. I didn't mean to, I swear!" I apologized.

She gave me a weird look, " You didn't exactly take a nap, Brittney. You sort of... passed out."

"Passed out?"

"Yeah, luckily, we ran into Barret on our way back home, so he gave us a ride back. You're sure you're fine?"

"Yeah." I assured her, " Thanks, Barret. It's nice to meet you, by the way." I looked at Denzel and Marlene, who were grinning at me, " It's nice to meet you guys, too."

Barret got up from the couch, " Well, I should get going, then! It looks like you guys should get to know each other." He went to Marlene and gave her a hug, " I'll see ya soon, 'kay Marlene?" She nodded and he patted Denzel on the head. After that, he looked at me. He was observing me, it looked like. "You look like a nice girl! Make sure you and Tifa do girly things, all right?"

I laughed, Barret was a lot cooler in person, " I will. It was nice meeting you!" Barret then walked out the door and Denzel and Marlene and I started to get to know each other. I coudn't help but wonder, even though that these two kids were asking me all these questions about where I came from, who I was, and what it was like where I lived, did I imagine that conversation in the church?

All I remembered were their voices... they said that I could do something... or one of them did. A man and a woman... who were they?


	4. Cloud

Sorry for not updating yesterday! I was really busy, and hopefully I can get back on track today. I don't want to be on writer's block... that would be for you guys. I read this manga called _Skip Beat! _yesterday that I bought at my school book fair. And today, I bought this manga called _Serenity_. Both are really good! I know the first one is a shoujo, but I'm not so sure about the second one, other than it being an Ameri-manga. (Grimaces) I have to finsh my cat for art... and I had to get my shot today... dang it. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

--B. K. Siver

* * *

"Was it really _that _bad, where you came from?" Denzel asked with a surprised voice. 

"Nah," I sighed, " I'm only exaggerating... a lot. The desert wasn't so bad." I told him. _I miss it bad, though..._

Denzel looked like he was going to ask another question, when Tifa burst in all of a sudden. "Guess what?" she asked excitedly. Denzel and I just raised our shoulders. "Cloud's coming back! He's on his way right now!"

I grinned, but my eyes showed excitement. A lot of excitement. _Finally! I get to meet Cloud! Not my plushie! _Not that I didn't love my "baby," of course, but meeting the real person was going to be great! I was getting anxious about Cloud showing up... I mean, it had been a week since I had arrived to the Seventh Heaven bar, and Tifa hadn't mentioned me to anyone else yet besides Cloud and Barret, but who's to say that Barret hasn't told anybody?

"You look excited," Tifa said to me, "Do you like meeting new people?"

I thought about it. I really needed to hide my emotions better, so that I'm not found out about me knowing them already. " Yeah! I love new people! New people are great!" _I've gotta stop freaking out..._

A few hours had passed after Tifa, Marlene, Denzel, and I had gone shopping. We all decided that it would be cool to have a little feast for Cloud's homecoming. It was seven o' clock in the evening– or night– whichever you prefer. _Mama and them must be watching a movie right now... if they weren't so hung up on me missing, _I began to remember what it was like having a big family.

* * *

"_Dad!" I would remember Andrew's little voice... how I _**hated **_him. " Dad! Tell Brittney I can choose the movie!"_

"_We're not watching no '_Four' _fricken '_Brothers!_'" I would yell back. "Doesn't anybody wanna watch _The Benchwarmers?"

"_That movie is so... homo! It's the gayest thing ever!" he would yell back._

"_Not as gay as you trying on Mama's shoes... or putting a '_Bounce U_' tattoo on your butt."_

"_I just wanted to see if they fit!"_

_I would stick out my tongue, just a little bit, "If that's how you wanna role..."_ _I would always mutter, " That tattoo might as well have said 'Insert dick here.'"

* * *

_

I laughed to myself, remembering what had happened only a few weeks earlier. _Adriana... you are such a fag!_ I reminded myself.

"How long will it be until Cloud gets here, Tifa?" I asked. I was excited about meeting him, but there was something I needed to do first.

"In about an hour, why?" she asked.

"There was... something I wanted to do. It'll be real quick, I swear." I promised. "Do you have any paper?"

She gave me some and I grabbed a pen, running up to my room. When I turned on the light, the room looked welcoming. It was as though the house were telling me something. I made sure I shut the door, and took out my Cloud plushie and the picture of my friends. It felt like ages since I had seen them, but if you looked at it, it was like being on a vacation without your friends... a really _long _vacation... without your family.

I immediately began writing quick a list of things:

_Ten Things to NEVER __**EVER **__Forget from My World... Not Even if My Life Depended on It:_

_10. Andrew A.K.A. Adriana is the biggest faggot of a brother...EVER!!!_

_9. Stephanie was the coolest cousin EVER... even with all that Dakota crap..._

_8. My sketchbook was my heart_

_7. Alyssa is the WEIRDEST baby sister _

_6. Daddy needs to get hitched... NOW_

_5. School was great_

_4. Art was the greatest class in the world_

_3. My Cloud plushie was worth every single penny!_

_2.Gackt(or Gacktuh heehee) and Hyde were some of the sexiest men I've seen(especially Hyde)_

_1. My family and friends... even Adriana... were the best parts of my life._

_NOTE TO SELF: DO NOT LOSE!!! CHERISH IT!!!_

I hugged my Cloud plushie and held the picture of my friends and I close to my chest. With quick speed, I hurried and folded the paper and put it in Cloud's arms, and put him and the picture in the drawer, hidden from the others. "I need you to protect this picture and this piece of paper as though your life depended on it, Cloud. Understand?" I asked my plushie, " I know that you don't like it, compared to Kyo and Edward and Inuyasha and Kilala and Toma-Toma, they probably miss you." My mood changed from happy to... not sad... but– I couldn't explain it. "My family probably misses me, too."

All of a sudden I heard Denzel run up the stairs, knocking on my door. _At least _he _knocks... Andrew,_ I thought with disgust. "Is he here?" I asked him.

Denzel nodded"You need to hurrybecause he's on his way in." I followed his orders and made sure I looked OK.

_At last! I get to meet him! Not some really cool cosplayer! The real Cloud Strife!_ My fangirl half of myself kept squealing like a pig, _I wonder if he's hotter in person..._

_No! Stop thinking that! Stop it!_

After what had felt like forever, I managed to get downstairs. "That was cool," a deep voice said, and I instantly turned around, " How did you do that?" The voice was Cloud's. It made my heart melt.

"H-hello..." I managed to say, looking down. I could feel my face getting red, and that was the last thing I wanted Cloud to make a first impression of. I quickly stuck out my hand and he shook it. "I'm... um," I tried to say.

"Brittney, right?" Cloud finished for me. "That's funny, Tifa said you were quite talkative." I only smiled awkwardly for him. His "Cloud blue" eyes, as I would call them, began to observe my features. "I've never seen hair like that before, is it natural?" He was looking at my brown spirals called curls.

I nodded, because I knew that if I were to speak, it'd only come out in little squeaks.

Tifa smiled at him, "She'll warm right up to you, Cloud. All she's been doing is asking questions like, 'What is Cloud like?' and 'Is he cool?' It's really funny!" I knew she meant that in the nicest way possible._ "_Well, dinner is getting really cold, guys." Marlene and Denzel shot up. Of course, my stomach growled.

I blushed, "Uh... sorry!" _This is so hard! _"I'm... so used to eating dinner at five, sometimes it's at three... I still have to get used to this schedule..." Cloud didn't say anything hardly at the table.

"I won't ask where you came from and what it was like," was all he told me, "I'm sure you're getting annoyed with explaining."

He was right. All this week were all these questions from Tifa and Denzel and Marlene. Then there was Barret when I had met him. If Cloud and Tifa were to arrange for when I met everyone else, I wouldn't be able to look forward to that day or the conversations.

Even though I thought that meeting Cloud was cool, that dinner was one of the most awkward moments of my life; Next to when my friend asked me a really, really dirty question... I shuddered at that memory.

* * *

"_Brittney? What's a dirty Sanchez?"_

_I choked at my food that happened to be chocolate, "Why do you ask _me _that? Tre, you explain to Lynn!"_

"_About that..."_

"_You don't know?! Garritt?" Nobody knew. "Well... it's..."

* * *

_

I didn't need to remember when I explained it to them. _Never again. _

When dinner was over, Marlene and Denzel and I got ready for bed. That was when Cloud spoke to me again, "You get ready for bed this early? It's only nine."

I sighed and yawned, "_Only _nine."

His eyes got wide, " You mean, you went to bed _earlier?_"

"Yeah, my bedtime was like, eight thirty, or sometimes eight. And when I was _really _tired, I'd go to bed at seven thirty."

"You're kidding."

"I'd never lie." I sulked, " I'm not good at that..."

I ran upstairs and put on my pajamas and got out Cloud from the drawer. "Good night, Cloud," I whispered. The last thing I needed was the real person freaking out about me talking to myself. "Goodnight, Kim, Cassi, Allana." After I had turned out the lights and began to lay down, Tifa came in.

"What did you think of Cloud?" she asked with excitement.

"Well... it was pretty awkward, for me, anyway." I replied. Pretending to not know anybody was difficult. "He seems like the... silent type." Duh.

She smiled, "You'll get used to it, don't worry. He's not as bad as you think."

_I know._

"Well, goodnight." she concluded.

"You, too." I wished her, and then I laid down.

* * *

"_So, Zack, having second thoughts about this summoning thing?" the woman's voice asked._

_I heard a sigh... the same one I had heard earlier. For some reason, I couldn't open my eyes or move. I kept drifting in and out of focus and consciousness._

"_I guess you were right, Aeris. I think she may be able to do it."_

_I tried moving my lips, but to no avail, they couldn't move. None of me could. Perhaps I was paralyzed. _

"_If you can figure something out for Cloud, you can go home." the woman's voice– Aeris?– told me, "All you have to do is find something or..._someone _who can make him happy."_

_I heard the man laugh, "That means getting to know him! Good luck!"_

_At last, I was able to speak, but my voice was only a little whimper. "You did...right...?"

* * *

_

I woke up, gasping for movement. The dreams I kept repeating themselves, with the people little by little answering my questions. Zack? Aeris? They said they wanted me to try and make Cloud happy. Why me? Why was I chosen, out of everyone else in the world? But, first and foremost, did they even hear me?

The whole "gay" and "homo" thing is just for Andrew's character. I personally don't have anything against homosexuals. So was the "Californians" thing. For any girls who are reading this and don't know who Gackt is(or Hyde), google their pictures! You'll thank me!


	5. Failed Attempts

Yay! I feel loved! You reviewers make me want to write more! What's better is that I finished my cat in art today and that it's going to the art show! I'm so happy! Anyways, I'm glad that you guys like this story(I should be having these kinds of dreams more often!). I'm not all that big of OCs, but I have a heck load of them(I know, I make LOTS of sense). Anyways, here's the newest chapter and expect more to come! Also, there's this really funny FFVII: Advent Children skit done by JAC Productions(Naruto Fans have probably heard of them, that's how I did) that's really funny! Cloud sings the song that Brittney sings in this chapter. I had it stuck in my head all week, and I just had to sing it because it made me so happy! The video's on so check it out when you can.

--B. K. Siver

* * *

"What do they want me to do?!" I asked my plushie, "They said something about... oh, God what did they say?" I began to panic because I couldn't remember what they had told me. "All I know," I said to my doll, " is that Cloud plus happy doesn't necessarily mix, does it?" I sighed at that thought, _Guess I'm not going home too soon, then._ When I looked out the window, the blue sheet I was used to was a gray blanket. "Gee, I hope it rains!" I exclaimed as I walked downstairs, dressed and freshened up.

Nobody was up. In fact, it was only six in the morning. _And here I thought it was nine._ It was no matter, I just grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil, something hard to write on, and walked quietly up to my room. The bed was comfortable to sit on, and I grabbed the picture out of the drawer again. "Guess what I'm gonna do, Allana?" I asked it, and stuck out my tongue, "I'm gonna draw a picture, so nyah!" It felt like forever since I had seen them.

It had been awhile since I had drawn something without being told to. At school, we were drawing animals, and my teacher couldn't stop saying how good it was. "You know what?" I asked myself, "It's been soooooo long since I've drawn anime. I think I will!" As usual, I always started out with the head. My hands always did the work, hardly ever the brain. Only when it needed look did I ever use my brain for drawing anything.

My mind wasn't thinking when it was done. "It's... all of us." I sighed with sadness. _Why couldn't I draw anything better? _Drawing something is better than nothing, I guess.

* * *

"_Brittney," Allana nagged to me, "Why don't you draw something?"_

_I sighed, "I don't really feeeel like it."_

_She breathed when I told her that. "Your so lazy! C'mon! You're way better than I am, and here you are just sitting around! I know, why don't you finish that story, then?"_

_I smiled crookedly when she asked me that. "About that..."_

_Her sigh was huge compared to the one I did, "You're so lazy!" I knew she was kidding._

"_Yep!"

* * *

_

The patter of the rain began to hit my window. "Yay! It's raining!" I exclaimed. To my surprise, it was ten thirty, and everybody had already had breakfast. That didn't matter to me, I wasn't really hungry. "It's raining! It's raining!" I kept yelling.

Tifa and Cloud gave me weird looks. Even with that face he had made, it was still enough to make me blush. "You're _this _excited about the rain?" they both asked me.

"Heck yes!" I answered, "It's been forever since I've seen the rain!" I opened the door and ran outside to play in it. _I have an idea..._

"All the raindrops, the rainbows, and the gumdrops!" I started to sing with excitement, "Oh what a rain it will be! Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh!" I looked at them, to see if Cloud was smiling at all. Tifa gawked at my behavior, whereas Cloud looked stern. The point of this was to at least get him to smile.

He took a breath and grabbed my arm, immediately taking the fun out of the song. "Get inside," he ordered, "You'll catch a cold."

I looked down, ashamed of myself. _That was stupid._ "I was only trying to get you guys happy. Don't you like the rain?"

"Not one bit." he replied, "Now take a shower. You're all wet."

Of course, being who I am, I did what I was told. This was different, however. Cloud and Tifa had given me the privilege to live in their house. I understood it wasn't a right.

At lunch I made myself a soup, like Cloud did, and sat at the table. "Great big globs of greasy, grimy, gopher guts, mutilated monkeys' meat, dirty little birdies' feet," I began to sing softly to myself. Cloud cleared his throat, as though he wanted me to stop, and I did.

"That's gross," he said, "What else do you know that annoys people?"

I laughed a little, hoping to get him to smile. It didn't work. "Too much," I only said._ I thought he'd be cool._

When we were done with our lunch, another plan came into my head. "Hey Cloud?" I asked as innocently as I could.

"What?"

I tried not to choke out the words I was going to say, "Um, could you do me a favor?"

"What."

"Well," I began, "Could you... could you say 'let's mosie?' Please?"

He sighed again, not even letting out a little smile or grin. Not even the corners of his lips turned into a smile. The only thing Cloud did was sigh. "Let's mosie," he said, then thought for awhile. "It's been a long time since I've said that. You do know to much."

* * *

"_Let's mosie!" Allana said to all of us. I gave her a weird look. "Cloud said it in the game, Brittney. It's cute!"_

_I smiled, "He does?! Really?! Oh, he just stole my heart once again!"

* * *

_

The laughs I had with my friends were endless. Cloud, on the other hand, was being difficult. When Tifa came home, she wanted to speak to me. "You seem to be irritating Cloud," she said to me, "Don't you like him?"

I looked down at the ground, _This is the part where she kicks me out. _"It's not that I _don't _like Cloud. It's just..." I paused, "It's just that Cloud never smiles. It really gets me mad. Well, not mad, but, you know what I mean?" She shook her head. "I guess he hates me a lot." I emphasized the last to words.

She put her arm around me, "You very cheerful, Brittney." she told me, "Your personality is enough to fill a few people, I'm sure. Cloud just has to get used to your cheerfulness, that's all."

"How long do you think that's gonna take?"

"It depends on who's cooperating."

I only sighed out of burden, _Fangirls would kill to be in my shoes. I wish it were that way._

I was quiet at dinner so as not to irritate Cloud, and only spoke when spoken to. Denzel and Marlene were quite talkative, as well as Tifa. This was the most dead I've ever been. "I was thinking about having a little get-together. You know, to include Brittney into everything and to have everyone else meet her. Wouldn't that be cool?" she asked me.

"Yeah, it would." I wanted to keep my answers short, sweet, and to the point.

"Everybody would like you, especially Yuffie. And you said you liked math and reading, right?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Well, Vincent has a lot of books that I'm sure he'd let you read and Cid knows math really well."

"That'll be great!" I said with some excitement. My mind was still telling me that I was annoying the hell out of Cloud.

When eight thirty rolled around, I got ready for bed, and laid down. I didn't turn the lights on because I knew I'd want to do something, and all I really wanted to do was sleep. All I could say was that this day sucked, big ones. First, Cloud ordered me around, then he practically said I was annoying! _Of course, I have been annoying. He must've had a rough delivery, or something. _

"Yeah right!" I assured myself, "He doesn't even crack a little imp smile! That jerk! He doesn't deserve to be called 'human!'"

Before I knew it, I was asleep again.

* * *

_I could hear Zack laugh with heart, "What do you call that?"_

_Aeris replied sternly, "She was only trying to do what we told her." I felt her hand on my forehead again._

_Finally, I could open my eyes, and I was able to get up. I gasped, looking at the two people who had been talking to me and behind me. I was speechless._

"_That's not supposed to happen." Zack said. _

"_What am I doing here?!"_

"_Calm down," Aeris tried to tell me, but I cut her off, _

"_Tell me, why am I here?! WHY?!" I was raising my voice against one of the most gentle and kind people in all of video game history._


	6. Realization

Well, I watched "Night at the Museum" and "Street Fighter" today. "Street Fighter" really sucked. It was the live- action one, so that must be why. They're re-making it and it's coming out in 2008. I'm so totally NOT going to see it. I can't wait until "Transformers" comes out! Oh yeah, T-hank you for all of the reviews, guys. It makes me feel G-R-E-A-T about myself. Without further ado, enjoy this chapter of my story as I go read New Moon.

--. B. K. Siver

* * *

"_Why am I here, Aeris?" I asked with anger._

_Rather than her answering, Zack did. "Because," he started to explain in a calm voice, "We thought _you_ were best for getting the job done."_

"_By making him happy?" I asked again, "I'm only fifteen! Sure, I'm in _lust _with the guy, but I know for a fact I can't have him as a boyfriend!" The thought wasn't so bad, though._

_Aeris sighed, "Why does everybody assume that when I say 'I want Cloud happy,' they think I mean I want you to get with him?" My look didn't change._

"_Aeris thought that _you, _of all people in your world understood his feelings." Zack explained._

_I shook my head in disagreement, "He's just a video game/ movie character!" I couldn't believe that I just screamed those words out. What would happen now?_

"_I know that." Aeris said sadly, "I know that we are only game characters. I also know that not that many people like me." This was weird. "But you were different from other people who have played and/or seen Advent Children."_

How could she know about this thing? How can she just take this kind of information in stride?

"_When game or movie characters die, they know that they were just spawned from the minds of their creators." Zack explained to me once more, "But, there's something we can do that no person from your world can do: summon._

_It is said that when somebody wants something so bad, even in the afterlife, they can summon someone from another world to do what they want." What Zack was saying didn't make any sense at all. Summoning? Unheard of._

"_You can figure something out, can't you?" Aeris asked me._

_I only nodded my head, thinking of what I could possibly do for someone like Cloud Strife. "I'll do my best. The sooner I get home, the better." I promised.

* * *

_

Two weeks had passed since that dream. That was by far the weirdest dream I had ever had in my life. I was talking to the dead, and they were telling me that they knew they didn't really exist. When they died, that's what they were told. Zack and Aeris wanted me to do something for them: Make sure Cloud finds happiness. How can I do that? He's stubborn and can't even smile! "I'll never get home!" I whined.

I walked very slowly downstairs, so that I had more time to think. _They said that they want Cloud's happiness assured_, _but how am I supposed to do that?_ Rather than go completely downstairs, I stood near the bottom and listened to Tifa's conversation on the phone.

She was still making arrangements about me meeting everybody else. "Yeah. C'mon, Yuffie! She's just as cheerful as you are!" I could hear her say on the phone, "Oh yes, she's quite the optimist." She paused to hear Yuffie. "Well, you see, we don't exactly know where she came from. She keeps saying that she's from another world, but, I don't really know."

Another long pause. "Cloud...? Cloud is still trying to get used to someone close to his age, especially to someone who's a lot smarter." she was telling her, "Oh yeah, a lot smarter. She's showed me the kind of math she can do; It's pretty complicated stuff. Not that I'm saying that Cloud is stupid. She's just smart for her age."

Tifa started to laugh, "Yeah, that'd be great! Thanks, Yuffie!" I came downstairs fully a minute after her conversation. "Hey, Yuffie said that she's gonna call everybody about the whole party."

"Party?" I asked, "I thought it was a little get-together?"

"Oh, yeah. But it's been awhile since we've all seen each other, so I thought a little party would be nice. It's gonna be within the next few days, do you mind?"

"Of course not!" I replied happily. In the three weeks I had been here, I had gotten used to the schedule they had planned out. I now ate dinner really late, but still went to bed at my normal time. We usually go shopping for groceries on Sundays, like in my world, which wasn't that hard to deal with.

Sure enough, Tifa said that we'd have to go shopping for the party. "Yep, it'll be fun, huh?" she asked me, "Yuffie's been excited to meet you, and so is Cid."

I blushed because it made me feel loved at how much the others wanted to meet me. "Wait," I told her, "how smart did you tell them I was?"

"Very." she replied. _Smartass. _

At the supermarket, we bought all the food you could imagine, at least for Tifa's sake. At home, this was just about right, maybe a little bit more than what we bought for just my family. When Tifa couldn't read the sign for the price, she asked for my help. "Could you read that sign for me, please, Brittney?"

_I can't see without my glasses! _I thought, _I've managed this far..._ "Sure!" I tried to reply with joy. I squinted my eyes to read the sign, which was very far away. The little letters, if that's what they were, looked like nothing more than fuzzy moss on a tree. "Um..." I tried to think, "It says," I was squinting my eyes almost shut to read the sign, "It says $4.95?"

"That's OK, I've got it," Tifa told me, "It's $1.67." I was embarrassed by the fact that I couldn't read the sign correctly; I killed it. She looked at me with curiosity, "You can't see very well, can you?"

I sighed with embarrassment, "I'm sorry. I tried to keep it a secret, but I guess couldn't."

"Don't worry about it. We'll get you glasses." she offered.

"Oh, you don't have to do that for me! Really! I'll pay for them!"

Tifa looked at me with a skeptical expression, the face she made when I tried explaining where I was from. "You're too young right now. You can in a bit." She kept offering to buy me the eyeglasses I needed, but I kept telling her it was too much. Money was a good thing, I kept telling her, and that she needs to use it for something important. "OK, as long as you can stand it for awhile longer..."

"I can!"

When we arrived at the house, it was just us two. Cloud had gone to do some deliveries and Denzel and Marlene were at the park. While I was helping Tifa with putting away the groceries, I began to think to myself.

I am a Cloti fan, but even I wouldn't go as far as to ask Tifa if she liked(or loved, for that matter) Cloud. I wouldn't even do it the other way around. I have noticed that she does look at him differently than the rest of us. Then again, she's known him longer than all of us combined. However, I wouldn't doubt that she at least had _some _feelings for Cloud, or vice versa. Aeris and Zack wanted me to make sure Cloud finds happiness and gets over them, practically. _That's crazy,_ I told myself, _this isn't any dating service. Or is it? _Perhaps this is what ack and Aeris had wanted all along. Someone to make Cloud happy.

Tifa looked sad, though, as we were putting away the food. "What's wrong?" I asked with concern.

"Oh, nothing." she sighed.

"Don't tell me 'nothing' because you don't sigh when you go 'nothing.'" I imitated her.

She sighed again, but put some thought into her next question. "Do you," she began to ask, "have a crush on Cloud?"

My eyes got wide. Of course I did, but it was only lust. "I do." I told her truthfully. She gave me not a dirty look, but a face. "Tifa," I said, "I'm not gonna lie; Cloud is one really cute man. His eyes, face, voice, everything about him is perfect." She looked away from me. "But I know it's just lust. I'm in lust with him, that's all," I explained, "I know he's meant for someone else. Why, do you, too?"

She laughed a little bit, probably was trying to hide her feelings it looked like. "No," she told me, "I think I'm in love with him." I smiled very big, and she could see that I was snickering. "Please, I don't want him to know! Not yet, anyways."

I listened to what she asked of me, and I promised her that. At least, I won't do anything until _after _I meet everyone else. I would need their help in convincing Cloud that he loves Tifa. It would be a few weeks, but I had already been here a month, and I was excited with what she had told me.

_Soon, I'll be home! _

As soon as I went to my room, I began plotting my plan to get them together.

_He'll never know what hit him!

* * *

_

TO ALL CLOUDxAERIS FANS: Please don't send me any flames pertaining to this chapter. Not that I wouldn't mind criticism, but if it's about a pairing you don't enjoy, then don't even bother to write, because I won't even put it into thought. I would put the warning at the top, but that would spoil the chapter.


	7. GetTogether

The art show is on Monday, and I'm so excited! My cute kitten is in it! And so is my collage! On Monday, we're gonna watch Happy Feet...ooooooooo. I wonder what I'll do this weekend besides this? Oh, yeah! I got my favorite author's address and I am so gonna write her! Good thing she lives in my state! Here's the most recent chapter: the magical number seven!

--B. K. Siver

* * *

The day had finally come; I was going to meet everybody! Vincent, Yuffie, Rude, Reno, I would see Barret again, and Cid! Tifa said that they would all like me, but if Cloud hasn't warmed up to me, then maybe they won't, either. _No, they will! Cloud is different; He hardly shows emotion, _I assured myself. I'd have to talk to Zack and Aeris, though, but how was I going to do that? They haven't been talking to me at all in my dreams. Maybe...

Maybe Aeris's church can help me! It happened once, and it could happen again, right?

"Er, Tifa?" I was starting to have second thoughts about asking her this question, "Can I go to the church?" I was hoping she'd say no.

"Of course! But Cloud's gonna have to take you." she said the opposite of what I had wanted.

"What?! That means riding one of those motorcycles?!" I exclaimed. Those bikes looked cool, sure, but I was deathly afraid of them. They were huge, bulky, and went really fast. "I hate those things!" Tifa and Cloud had known that, too.

"I know," she told me, "but it's the only way. You can only be there for a little bit, though. And don't pass out while you're there, OK?"

"I'll try." I replied, really meaning what I had said. I could only talk to Zack and Aeris through my sleep, I figured, and going to the church where I had collapsed before was going to help(but that was just a thought.

I could see Cloud come from out of his room and grab the keys to the bike. "Let's go." he ordered me. Not once had he said hello, good morning, or anything kind to me at all. The closest thing he had ever done that was nice was when I was in the rain, and he had told me to take a shower because I'll catch a cold.

When we got up to the bike, and got on and waited for me, but I only stood there staring at it. "I'm not getting anywhere while you're standing there," he told me.

"Of course." I said keeping my answer short. I had always done that for him because I thought that I was still annoying him with me just being here..

Even though there were handles on the sides for me to hold on, I put my arms around his waist. It wasn't because I had a little crush on him, even now, but because I felt a lot safer this way.My fangirl half of me had vanished from me completely; I never freaked out over his features anymore. The whole bike made me feel uncomfortable, like I was going to die. _Boy, am I glad I saw Advent Children. He can really drive his motorcycle!_

"Dragonforce?" he asked, looking at my wristband. I don't even think he took notice that my arms were around his waist.

"Yeah! They're my favorite heavy metal band. They don't get all scream-o like the others. And they're guitar solos are freaking sick!" I explained. He just brushed it off like it was nothing and we drove off.

I screamed, and I felt him jump when I did, so I tried to calm down. I closed my eyes, trying to stroll down memory lane. My fear of his bike reminded me how much I feared going to see "Silent Hill."

* * *

"_NO, Allana, I won't do it! I just won't" I said while trembling._

"_C'mon, Brittney, it'll be fun, really!" she tried to persuade me._

"_N-O, no! I'm too scared, I won't lie: I'm too chickenshit to see it!" I admitted to her._

"_Please?" she kept asking me._

_The begging went on for four weeks since the day it came out, and finally, I agreed to go with her after the other two said they wouldn't. _

I managed to laugh.

_The movie theater was packed, and we went to the ten o' clock showing in the PM. I was freaking out when we sat down. "It'll be OK, Brittney." Allana said in a calm voice. She was trying to calm me down for the past few minutes._

_When the previews started, and the theater got dark, I freaked. I even whimpered. However, the screen never came on, and the movie was delayed twenty minutes. All anxiety was gone by then.

* * *

_

It felt like only seconds had gone by since we left the bar. Cloud stopped the bike and I got off, looking at him. I was waiting for him to tell me something.

"Hurry up. We have to be back before the others arrive." he told me.

"OK." I replied quickly.

The church looked just as it had one month ago. I was pretty sure that someone had cleaned at least once this week. _Maybe Cloud did..._ The church benches were still knocked over from the battle Tifa had with Loz in Advent Children, and there were more flowers. They still looked as beautiful as they had when I was here a month ago. Rather than pick one, I laid in it, hoping I could get a connection with Zack and Aeris.

"You guys?" I asked to the ceiling, "I have a plan." There was no reply and I didn't blackout. "Zack? Aeris? I said I have a plan." Nothing. "Yoohoo," I whistled, "Guys?"_ I thought they were supposed to come when I came here... I have to hurry, or Cloud will be mad again. _I was walking out when I heard Zack snicker in my head.

"_What's up?" _he asked me.

"What?!" I exclaimed, "Where are you?! How come I'm not collapsed?" I asked out loud.

"_It's easier to communicate with you when you want us." _Aeris explained, _"You said you have a plan?"_

"Yeah," I said, "It's about"– dare I say it?– "Cloud's love life."

"_What do you know?" Zack asked me._

"All I know is that Tifa loves him. I'd have to make plans, though." It felt weird talking to air. "I'd also rather get to know everyone and," I paused, hoping I didn't sound selfish, "have a cell phone."

"_How do you suppose you'll do that?" _Zack asked me.

I sighed, "Tifa says I'm to young for a job, so I'll wait until I'm sixteen." _Hopefully Mama and them can wait until then. _"I'll have it planned by then."

Before Zack or Aeris could respond, I could hear Cloud calling me. He was probably wondering why I was talking to myself. "What took you?" he asked me, with annoyance in his voice, "Who were you talking to?"

"What is this, twenty questions?" I replied to him, showing that I could be worse.

"We have to get back home," Cloud told me, completely ignoring me.

When we got back to the house, Tifa was waiting there. "Did you get what you needed done?" she asked me. I nodded and smiled in response, wanting to get as far away from Cloud as possible. "No need to look your best," Tifa told me, "It's just our friends."

I smiled. She was so considerate since I had come in here. "I don't wanna look like a slob to your friends." I explained, and she smiled at me.

After I took a shower, I dressed in my nicest clothes. I walked slowly downstairs this time, not wanting to look flustered when the arrived. "Brittney!" Tifa exclaimed, "Good thing you came down, Cid and Yuffie and Vincent are coming." My heart jumped. I was really excited to meet them, and hopefully they wouldn't be jerks to me like Cloud has.

I sat on the couch patiently, anxious beyond reason. I resisted to not bite my fingernails(or what was left of them) and breathed as calm as I could.

"You said she was pretty cheeful!" I could hear Yuffie's voice say, and she walked in along with Vincent and Cid. I immediately shot up from where I sat.

"Hi!" I surprised that I was smiling, and not trembling as I stuck out my hand for everyone to shake. "I'm Brittney. You must be Cid, Yuffie, and Vincent." I pointed out. They looked astonished that I knew who they were, off the bat. "Er, Cloud and Tifa described me to you!" I assured them.

Cid and Yuffie were quite talkative to me. I was open with them, too. Vincent, however, didn't talk hardly, other than assure me that Cid and Yuffie were at throat and throat with fighting. It wasn't long until Reno came in, and I shook hands with him, too. I noticed that his eyes took a liking to my chest, but that seemed to be expected. "Rude couldn't make it, guys." Reno said to everybody.

Someone called for me before I could respond. "Brittney!" I heard Barret call as he walked in the door," What's up? I haven't heard from you in forever!" He squeezed me into a bear hug.

I was gasping for air, and I couldn't speak. Thankfully, Yuffie saved me. "I think you're choking her, Barret. Her face is turning purple!" she exclaimed.

My connection to Yuffie was unexpected. All I had heard from Allana and other fans of Final Fantasy was that she was _really _annoying and childish. However, she was a really fun person to talk to; That's not to say that she wasn't childlike. And when Cid talked, swearing every other time, reminded me of my uncle at home. It was funny when he kept apologizing and I kept saying that it was OK. I had heard that the way he swears, it would probably make a sailor blush. We had a click, however, when I told him I liked math.

Vincent was different. We talked about literature and books and even science. "What kinds of books have you read?" he asked.

"I don't read one genre; I want to keep my variety in taste." I said. It looked like Vincent smiled, but I couldn't exactly be sure.

Reno was another story; He was quite the lech. I'd heard that from fanfictions and articles about the characters, but it wasn't as bad as they said. Still, his eyes wouldn't stop looking at my chest.

"Sorry," I said to him, "but I'm a minor."

He laughed when I said that. "Sorry, but they're so huge!" he exclaimed. I only laughed because I was so used to everybody at home telling me this.

* * *

"_Ow! My bra hurts!" I complained in the locker room._

_My friend, Sophia, looked at me and said bluntly, "Pull it out, dude."_

"_I think I will."_

"_Go for it!"_

_I did what I said, and pulled the wire from inside. "Whew!" I sighed, "I'm glad that's out!"_

_Sophia gawked at the wire, "Is that... is that your _bra_?"_

"_Yeah." I said, "Der."_

"_It's so... so... so big! What's your size?" I told her my size, and her eyes got even bigger. "Dude, I'd be soooo proud."

* * *

_

Everybody kept telling Tifa and Cloud how polite and cool I was when I went upstairs to go to bed. They kept saying that I was different from other girls these days and that I was a mix of all of them. I felt loved!

"Everybody said they liked you, Brittney!" Tifa told me cheerfully, "Especially Yuffie. She said that you were just like her, but smarter. And Cid and Vincent said that you were one of the smartest people they had ever talked to." I felt honored that I even got to talk to them, let alone have all of them praise me for who I really was.

"Not everybody, though," I said sadly, "Cloud doesn't like me still. I don't know what it is about me. I apologized for the time in the rain." That was a month or so ago. "Maybe I'm just a nuisance, period."

Tifa sat on my bed right next to me. "I know he seems... like a person who could be easily annoyed. But trust me, I think you're like a little sister to him!"

"It's because I'm smarter, isn't it? Or is it because I ruined something when I came here?"

"It's nothing," she assured me.

I couldn't figure out why Cloud hasn't liked me yet. I wasn't _that _annoying, was I? I hardly ever talked to the guy, because I was afraid that I'd get a lecture on leaving him alone or something.

_Maybe in the next few months he'll grow to me, or vice versa. _


	8. Birthday

You'll never guess what my uncle bought for me at the swap meet! (Drum rolls) Final Fantasy XII!!! I was so happy! I'm on a magical journey of finding Final Fantasy VII, but nobody carries it anymore(and it doesn't help that it's the most popular of the series, either). However, the guy at the stand had FFVIII and FFIX, and he said I could have XII until he found VII. So, I'm on he road of beating it(hopefully). Those stupid Mimics... I can't get past them! Here's the most recent chapter. Sorry it took me awhile! I've been... preoccupied...

B. K. Siver

* * *

As the next few months wore on, everybody I had met that day had become like my family. Yuffie was my cool cousin, Cid was my bad-mouthed uncle, Reno was my perverted brother Andrew, and Denzel and Marlene were my little brother and sister to me whereas Tifa was like a mother figure. It was like my family back at home. All except one.

Cloud. He hasn't taken a liking to me yet. Although we have progressed from one sentence conversations to at a maximum of three.

It was now October; The month of my birthday. Of course, Cloud or Tifa hadn't bothered asking, so I figured telling them on the day I was sixteen. That day was coming up.

"Hey, Brittney," Tifa began that morning at breakfast, "When's your birthday?"

"October," I replied, "Why?"

She looked surprised, "Why haven't you told me?!"

"You never asked."

"What day?" I knew that she was hoping that it hadn't passed.

"A week from this day. You don't have to do anything special for me!" I told her.

"I insist! Cloud and I would be more than happy to throw you a party! You're like a little sister to us!" she exclaimed.

_You might, but Cloud won't. He _hates_ me._

"We'll have to think of something special." she said to me.

I sighed and went upstairs. Even though I was with the characters I had accepted as real people with feelings and such, I was unbelievably bored. There was nothing to do in Midgar, but wait until I turned sixteen. I'd have my job! That's all I had really wanted for my birthday, that, and a cell phone. I sighed, knowing I wouldn't be able to get one of those.

"I'll have to save up money," I said to my Cloud plushie. I hadn't taken him out in a month or so. All I have done was take out the picture of my friends and mope at how much I miss them and my family. "You guys will never believe me when I get back," I explained to the photo. _Allana wouldn't believe that Cloud is resentful towards me._ "I wish I could figure out why." That's when I heard a knock on my door. "Coming!" I yelled at response. I quickly put the picture and Cloud inside my drawer, and ran up to my door.

I was surprised that Cloud was the one in front of me. "Hey, Cloud," even now I was trying not to be as annoying as I used to be, "What's up?" A _huge _transition. Had it been three months ago, I just would have just said, "Hey, Cloud."

Cloud, as I have noticed, was actually starting to be nicer to me. "So I hear that your birthday's next week?" he asked. That was a big shocker that he actually cared. "Why didn't you tell us?"

I looked away, "I thought that I was burdening you, that's why." He looked at me with his "Cloud blue" eyes. Now I could look straight back, without any blushing or second thoughts.

"Why would you think that?" he asked. It was strange that he actually seemed concerned.

"I'd rather not talk about it, Cloud." was all I said. "Besides, I'd rather you not throw me a party. You guys have spoiled me enough!" I explained with a smile on my face, "You guys treat me like I'm blood. And don't think I'm not grateful for that, I am. But..."

"But you miss your family, right?" Cloud asked again, "A day is coming up where it's _your _day, with _your _family." I didn't reply, and he just walked downstairs again.

_I'm not on my period, what's wrong with me? I'm so... depressed, all of a sudden. _My life continued like that for the next week.

As far as I could tell, that was the most Cloud had ever talked to me in the six months I had been there. It never happened again, though. He was back to his "old" self, with me, anyways. Tifa and Cloud had been quiet to me this whole week. Finally, Tifa said she'd take me out for the day. "It's your birthday! You should be happy!"

I tried to smile, but I lost to my emotions. "Sorry I have emo fever, Tifa. I just miss my family, that's all. I'm so disgusted with myself..."

"I'd be the same way, too." was all she had told me. Tifa had also kept me out unusually long that day. We were going places that I– no– even _she _could care less about. When we went into the stores, we'd just walk in, check it out, and walk out. It was like being with Mama.

* * *

"_Mama? Why? My feet hurt." I complained to her._

_Her curls bounced when she looked at me, "My do to, but there is stuff I want to see."_

"_I wanna go home!"_

"_You don't understand! When you're a woman, you'll do the same thing, Brittney." she explained._

"_No I won't."

* * *

_

I smiled when I remembered that day at Big Lots. _You're so crazy, Mama! _

Tifa and I got back to the bar, and it was dark. It wasn't only because it was night time, but also because the lights were out. I had even walked into the counter corner.

"Son of a!" I cried when I walked into it. I didn't dare finish the last word.

"_Surprise!" _everybody yelled when Tifa turned on the light. I was so scared that I nearly jump out of my clothes.

"What the hell was that?" Cid asked me, "Was the sweet, smart Brittney going to _swear?_" At home, I was considered a potty mouth amongst my friends. Of course, I'd inherited that from my uncle.

"Yeah, Brittney," Yuffie teased, "What was that word again?"

I laughed, a good, hard laugh, and looked at Yuffie, "Bitch!"

When Tifa came out with my birthday cake, she had used purple frosting: My favorite color! My family had never, ever done that before! Yuffie gave me her present in a rush: "You'll like it!" was all she told me. The blue paper was shredded instantly and all I saw was a small box. She gestured for me to open it, and I did as I was instructed. My eyes were mesmerized by the beauty of what was before me: Purple materia. I smiled so huge that my eyes were almost shut. "Thanks, Yuffie! I love it!"

"You don't know what kind of trouble I went through for that!" she exclaimed.

I laughed, "I'd rather not!"

She also passed me Vincent's gift. It wasn't wrapped, but it had a purple ribbon. It was Homer's The Odyssey. I remembered that I had told him that I had wanted to read that book. I never thought that it existed in this world. Despite what Vincent was, and how he might have reacted, I hugged him. "Thank you, Vincent! I'll read it tonight!" I cheered, but he just shrugged and I continued.

"Don't read it all," he warned me, "We live too far apart to be exchanging books."

Cid gave me his gift that was wrapped in red wrapping paper with a blue ribbon on it. It was wrapped odd, and I couldn't figure out what it was. "Just open the goddamn thing, would ya?" he asked with a kidding annoyance. I didn't hesitate to obey him. The odd item turned out to be a really nice calculator that could do fractions and everything else possible. "I'd remembered how much you liked mine. It's the same one!" I was grateful to have friends like them.

Reno's gift was last. I was anxious as to what it would turn out to be. Something I like? Or maybe something he liked? Either way, I didn't doubt it would be something I'd forget. It was a large square shape, but it was bulky in the front. _I wonder what it is? _When I opened it, I was surprised to see nothing strange(or perverted for that matter). It was something that I had yearned for since that day I drew a picture of my friends: A sketchbook.

I was speechless when I looked up at Reno. Not only did it come with that, but also with colored pencils, really _nice _colored pencils. "I don't know what to say, especially since it's from you, Reno," I managed to tell him. He gave me a cocky look and grinned at me.

Barret's present was given to me by Denzel and Marlene. It was a purple teddy bear with a note:

_What's up? Sorry I couldn't make it to your party! Duty calls!_

_Barret_

It was a postcard from a desert town. _He was hoping I'd recognize the place, how sweet!_

Tifa had come back from the back of the room. I guess I had been so happy that, in spite of the joyous moment, I hadn't noticed her gone in the first place.

"Here's a gift from me and Cloud!" she said to me with light in her eyes. I knew what that meant, though. That meant that Cloud hadn't bothered to buy me a gift on his own accord. Either that, or he didn't get me one at all and Tifa was covering up for him. "Don't be shy; Open it!"

I managed to steal a glance at Cloud's face before I could do anything. He didn't look like he was happy or sad or even mad that I was opening a present. He hadn't been showing any emotion today.

The box had two things in it: The first thing I picked up was a cell phone. It was "Cloud black" like his, and metallic. When I opened it, the keys were like that of what was my world's Razor phone. "Tifa, Cloud..." I even managed to say his name, "Thank you!"

"There's another thing in it, too." Tifa said hurriedly.

I looked in the box again to find an application form for a job! She was offering me a job at the Seventh Heaven bar! "Tifa... wow!" I cheered, "I have a job! I have a job! I'm so happy!" Everyone else smiled at my happiness and I had forgotten how angsty I had been this week. I laughed at myself because I was so emo-ish. "Y'know, guys," I said, "I should get depressed more often!" They all laughed at my comment.

That was one of the best birthday parties I had ever had in my life. The gifts, the feeling of being wanted and wanting love. They were my family now. I had accepted it.

* * *

"_It was great, Aeris!" I exclaimed, "It was so much fun! And I have a cell phone! My plan will go to work soon enough!"_

"_I'm glad that you had a great time," she replied calmly, "You seemed really sad this last week."_

_Zack barged in on our conversation, "So, how do you plan on getting this to work? You've been working on it for months."_

_I snickered and smiled crookedly, then looked at Zack, "By force!" They both gave me a look of skepticism. "You'll see," I sighed. Then I had realized something: I have to ask Cloud if he likes her back. And if he doesn't, I'd have to make sure he realizes he does. "Dang it..."_


	9. The Flawless Plan

TT That stupid level! I suck at RPGs. I'm not looking forward at attempting to beat FFVII. I found this walk-through. I know that's cheating, but it's a last resort. Anyways, here's the ninth chapter of my story. Enjoy!

B. K. Siver

P. S. Sorry there's so much dialogue! I'm so disgusted...

* * *

Now that I have begun to talk to Zack and Aeris throughout the day without being knocked out, I could remember the conversations we'd have. That dork Zack laughed at me when I realized that I had to actually talk to Cloud. A good, real conversation. _Just dandy, this is just great! _

Three weeks had passed since my birthday, and working at the Seventh Heaven bar was actually quite fun. I'd had never thought that my first job would be bartending with Tifa on Mondays through Fridays, from noon until nine. Tifa worked the rest of the hours. I was glad to know that she remembered I liked going to bed early.

Working at the bar was fun, too. Sure, back home this would be illegal. For here, it was like nothing. The people I had met were one of a kind. All of the customers enjoyed me as their waitress and their bartender. All they had ever done was tell Tifa how great I was.

"You know what, Tifa?" I asked one day. She looked at me. "I was thinking, have you ever given yourself a day?"

She smiled and sighed to herself, "Nope."

"Why not? You work hard," I explained, "You should take a day off. I'll do your shift!" She shook her head, "C'mon, Tifa, I insist!"

"Now I know how you felt about the party..."

"Hey, I loved that party! You'll love your day off, too! I promise! Today, let it be to yourself!"

"Well...," she mused, "I guess I'll do it. I have been tired, lately."

_Score! _

"Don't worry, Tifa, I'll handle things at the bar!" It was nine in the morning. Perfect. That was all I needed to question Cloud.

She left, telling us all goodbye and that she'd be home by three, if not, six. The guys at the bar wouldn't mind much, anyways. Like I said, they enjoyed me.

Cloud was just one man who would not, not for his life(or mine for that matter), care about what I did and didn't do. Sure, he'd ask if I had called Cid for my math lessons, or Yuffie to say hi. Other than that, that was the only time he would talk to me. The last time we had a real conversation was on my birthday. That was three weeks ago, though.

I had to collect my thoughts for about an hour, until I was sure Cloud wasn't leaving to anywhere soon. I looked on the counter and there were his keys, untouched. I sighed and took a deep breath, summoning all my courage.

"Don't hyperventilate, now." he said when he walked by me.

Before it would slip my mind, I blurted, "Cloud! I have a question!" I sounded so hyper, he must've thought I had sugar this morning.

"What?" he asked cooly.

I mustered my thoughts and began. "Um, it's about..."

"About what?" he asked again.

"Um," I paused, and collected myself, "Do you... like anybody?" He looked at me with a weird face. "I don't wanna know if you like me, if that's what you're thinking!"

"Good."

"Yeah, I know you don't like me. Anyways, you're around two other girls, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, do you..." I gulped, "like any of them? Tifa or Yuffie?" I was hoping he'd say Tifa, of course.

He looked away, down at the ground, muttering something. "I don't speak 'mumble,' Cloud." I said.

"One," he told me, not looking me in the face, "but she deserves better."

I shook my head, "Tifa?! No, she deserves you, Cloud!"

He managed to smile at little bit, but only the corners of his mouth went upward, "You_ are_ too smart for your own good." I didn't say anything after that. We acted like that conversation was nothing afterwards.

I ran up to my room, trying my best to take a nap just so that I could talk to Aeris and Zack. That feat was impossible, so I called Yuffie instead.

"Hey, Britt! What's up?" she asked me in her hyper voice.

"I need you to do me a ginormous favor, Yuffie." I told her.

She startd to lose her cheery attitude, "What is it?"

I sighed, "I need you to come over here, tomorrow. Is that OK?"

"Yeah, why?"

I smiled and laughed a little, "I have plans for Tifa and Cloud... and I need everyone's help."

"Sure!" she yelled happily. Before she hung up her phone, I heard her yell, "Hey Vinnie...!"

_Vinnie? Never thought I'd hear that. What was she doing with Vincent? Never mind._

I dialed Cid's number, waiting anxiously for him to pick up. "Yeah?" he asked, with the familiarity that he knew it was me.

"Cid! I need you to build me two... no, three locks that can be locked by the outside. Don't make it a doorknob." I demanded.

"Now, what the hell makes you think that I can build locks?"

"Could you just do it? Please?" I begged.

"What for?" he pestered on the other line.

"You'll see when you get here tomorrow. I'll pay you if you keep your mouth shut. It's a surprise."

He laughed, "You don't have to do that. I'll try. They may not work, though."

"I don't care, just get them here. See ya tomorrow!"

"All right... bye."

_Who else do I need to call? What could Barret do? Moral support! Denzel and Marlene know what I wanna do! Maybe he already knows!_

I dailed Barret's number and waited for him to answer. Sadly, it wasn't him. It was his answering machine. "Hey, Barret, it's Brittney. Hey, uh, Denzel and Marlene wanna go over sometime soon. Call me back when you get this message. Bye!" I spoke to the machine.

I couldn't remember how else the others could help. Yuffie would aid me, Cid would build the locks. What would Vincent and Barret do? Moral support? I hope so.

Despite all of my thinking, I managed to fall asleep.

* * *

"_So, this plan is supposed to be flawless?" Zack asked me._

"_Yep." I answered._

"_What makes you think that it'll work?"_

"_Confidence! That_'s_ what!" I replied._

_Aeries came into the conversation, "Why do you need locks_? _You're not going to_ force _them together, are you?" _

"_Nooo, but I do know that Cloud may want to leave tomorrow. So I'll take his keys, and tell them I'm going shopping. That's when the others come in." I explained._

"_How so?" they both asked._

"_Well, Yuiffie is a fast ninja, right? Well, she could run in and out of the house."_

"_And do what?" Zack questioned. _

"_Set up the table! Dur!"_

_Aeris giggled, "I see where this is going..."_

"_Yeah, and then, Cid will put on the locks so that way they won't get out! It'll be a romantic dinner!"_

"_That's crazy!" Zack answered to my plan._

"_Well, one of them is _bound _to confess, right?"_

_Zack and Aeris looked at each other, "I guess so..."_

"_So it's flawless!"

* * *

_

My cell phone rang, and it woke me up with a jolt. I managed to get control over myself and answered. "Hello?" I asked tiredly.

It was Barret. I was glad he had got my message. "Sorry, Britt, did I wake you up?"

"No," I lied, "Just a little tired, that's all."

He started to laugh, "Well, you said that Marlene and Denzel wanted to come over?"

I smiled, "That's not exactly it..." I hated lying to him in that message. Barret was one of the coolest people I had ever met in my entire life. I hoped he wouldn't be mad at me. "I kinda sort of lied..."

He sighed, now, "OK, what do you want?"

"I need you to come over tomorrow at about six or seven. Everyone else is coming at that time."

"For what?"

"You'll see. I thought Denzel and Marlene told you?"

"They never told me anything!"

I snickered, "Well, then, I guess you'll have to come over and find out. It's just a surprise for Cloud and Tifa. I'll tell you what it is tomorrow, OK?"

"Fine," he whined, "You take care now."

"I will Barret, bye."

I looked at the clock; It said half past noon. "Oh my God! I'm late for work!" I ran downstairs hurriedly, barely taking notice that Cloud was gone. I opened the bar a half-hour late, but the guys didn't seem to mind. "Sorry! I was taking a little cat nap and I sort of overslept! Ten percent discounts for everyone because of me! Sorry!" I apologized.

Nobody argued with my agreement towards my tardiness. It was busier that day, and the regulars were just happy to see that I opened it. "You look happy, Britt. What's on your mind?" one of them asked me.

I wondered if I should tell them. They were practically friends, and they knew how I was. "I'm planning a surprise for Tifa!" I exclaimed. They all laughed and cheered.

"What for?" he asked.

"Oh, you'll see." I answered. They all moaned in annoyance and demanded another beer. Of course when I mean by demanded, they meant it as a joke. I didn't mind telling them what I had planned. Soon, I hoped, everyone will see that Cloud and Tifa are together because of me; That they would stay together because of me.

Most of all, I was hoping that when they were together, I'd go home.


	10. We'll Play Spies

The art show sucked... big ones. My parents didn't come and my grandparents left because it didn't open on time. So I was stuck with my friend for the next two hours and I just got home right now. I just won't go next time. And that Mimic Queen is really, REALLY hard to defeat... how do I dodge the Ground Shake thingy? (sigh) I won't beat it in time... Sorry I'm asking for your guys' help! Special thanks to DragonessWarrior. You've been a great help and thanks for reading my story, all of you! Don't worry, it's not done yet, if that's what you're thinking. There's a few chapters yet.

--B. K. Siver

* * *

Everybody came at seven in the evening, like I had asked. Cid brought the locks he had made, and Yuffie caem with Vincent and Barret was there, too. "Great! Glad you could make it!" I exclaimed, "Now, here's what I have planned..."

"What the hell are we doing here?!" Cid Asked loudly.

I glared at him, "Don't yell," I whispered, "Cloud and Tifa are taking a nap!" He shut his mouth. "Anyways," I continued, "How many of you think and/or know that Cloud and Tifa are practically made for each other? Show of hands?"

"Is that what this is about?!" Cid yelled again.

"Brittney said shut up, Cid!" Yuffie demanded as she smacked him on the head. "I knew!" she whispered excitedly and waved her hand in the air. There was never a time when she _wasn't _hyper.

I looked around, Barret rose his hand and smiled, while Denzel and Marlene followed suit. Vincent didn't say anything. "Do _you _think so, Vincent?" I asked quietly.

He thought about it, probably trying to find a reasonable answer. "Perhaps."

I smiled again, "Well, then I guess we'll have to get to work! Cid, you install the locks on the three doors. But not right now. I have to... wait!" I realized, "Denzel, don't take this the wrong way, but _you _could steal Cloud's keys! Make sure it's quick but quiet," I ordered him.

He went inside the house and grabbed Cloud's keys from the counter, without even making the _jingle_ that it always made. I observed this as I watched through the kitchen window. When he came out with the keys, he was grinning impishly.

"OK, Yuffie, now's your turn. I need you to put all of this stuff on the dinner table. Make it as quick but quiet as possible." I asked her.

She snickered at what I had asked of her, "I'm a ninja! What makes you think being quiet _isn't _easy for _me_?" Not a noise was made when she tiptoed through the kitchen with the food and other items: China plates, candlesticks, silverware, and flowers. Of course she had to make more than one trip, but the job was done. She even managed to light them before anybody could hear anything. "Told you it was nothing!" she bragged.

I smiled, _This is going way easier than I had expected. _"Cid, this is where you and I come in," I explained, "We have to install these locks." I looked at Marlene, Barret, and Vincent. "Could you three be lookout? I don't want Tifa or..." I gulped, "_Cloud_ seeing us like this. Wouldn't _that _be a little awkward?" Cid laughed quietly at my comment. "Let's mosie!

Cid laughed, "'Let's mosie?' Can't you say something more manly?" he realized what he had said, "Never mind...

On our first door, Cid had plenty of questions. "So what was the point of these locks?"

"I don't want Cloud to go off," I replied, "This is probably most likely one of the most important moments of Cloud's life. He'll try to run off on his bike or something. But not without his keys!" I sneered.

The second door was not as hard as the first, now that we knew how to install it. We were a little noisy, but hopefully they didn't wake up. It wasn't until we were halfway through installing the third one did Marlene come get us. "They're awake!" she rushed and Cid and I tried to finish the third one, but Cloud was already out of his room.

"Fuck me," I whispered in shame, "How are we supposed to finish this?" I whispered.

"Don't worry, I've got an idea," he assured, "Keep this held for a sec." He ran off, ducking under the kitchen window, like the others. I was really nervous now. What would happen if Cloud saw us? He didn't seem to go into the kitchen yet, which was a good sign. I saw Barret come back to the door with Cid. "Keep this son of a bitch blocked, would ya?" he asked.

Barret listened, and applied weight from his body onto the door, leaning against it. I wouldn't be surprised if Cloud couldn't open it because of Barret's weight. "Just continue as though I weren't here," he said. I nodded and Cid and I continued. However, there was one problem.

_Click!_

That noise was loud enough for Cloud to hear. That what I hate about trying to be quiet; Everything is on surround sound when you try. Cid and I ran for our lives practically while Barret stood at the door still. Vincent and Marlene were elsewhere around the house, keeping watch.

Cid and I stayed in front of the kitchen window with Yuffie. "Where'd Vincent, Marlene and Denzel go?" I whispered. The three of us were hiding under the windowsill during the conversation.

"Vinnie and Marlene and Denzel are on the other side, making sure Cloud doesn't try to get out," she replied and ran to help Barret.

I looked very briefly in the window to see what Cloud was doing. He looked so funny when he had a puzzled look on his face. He couldn't find his keys! The face he had made when he saw the dinner was like the ones puppy's made when they were curious; When they tilted their heads. He even tried to open the doors. They wouldn't open, to my relief, and he was puzzled as to why. I crouched down again and Cid and I began to laugh as quietly as we could. I was so glad that everything was going according to plan!

Marlene came running to me and Cid. "Tifa's awake! Brittney, what do we do?"

I guess that meant that I was the leader of this whole thing. To think that I was following in _Cloud's _footsteps. I tried not to think about that. "Stay put. Where'd she walk off to?"

"She asked Cloud what the noise was about, and Cloud said he couldn't find his keys."

Before I could say anything, Yuffie came from the kitchen window. I guess she and Barret figured that the door was secure enough. "Tifa and Cloud are walking in the kitchen!" she whispered. We speed-walked and crawled to get to the small window. It was hard when you had three men with one being tall, the other muscular, and the last one loud-mouthed. Poor Denzel and Marlene couldn't see at all.

"You kids don't need to see this anyways," Cid ordered them.

The four of us minus Denzel and Marlene peered through the window. It seemed like Cloud and Tifa were having a conversation. We could hear they're muffled voices from the window.

I saw Tifa smile, "Did you make this, Cloud?"

Cloud looked at her, "Nope, I thought you did? Isn't that why you were taking a nap?"

Her look became confused, "No, I was just tired and needed a break. Besides, the food is still hot. Someone must've made it."

That was one detail I forgot. They would know it was probably one of us.

"Well, it couldn't have been Denzel or Marlene because they're out with Brittney," Cloud said, "I wonder who made this, then?"

Tifa sighed and sat down. "Well, then there's no point in putting this food to waste, then, since it's already set and ready to eat, right?"

Cloud took his seat, and both started eating. By the way they were acting, there wasn't any chance that this would turn into a romantic date. Much to my dismay, they were still acting like it was nothing. _Somebody make a move, for the love of God! _It was a shame that I was facing Cloud rather than Tifa, but one view is better than nothing. I didn't move, though, because this was practically concerning Cloud.

I could see that Cloud was about to look at all of us, and we ducked, fast. I was shakig from being nervous of getting caught. Yuffie held my hand, conforting me, "No need to be nervous," she whispered.

Just then, I saw that Denzel had managed to take a glass cup. "Denzel, let me see that!" I whispered, "Please." He did as he was told, and I put the glass on the wall, against my ear. I could still hear what they were saying.

They were both– laughing? Was that what I was hearing? Cloud, of all people, to laugh? I looked at everyone else to verify; They're face told me that my assumption was right. I managed to collect myself and put my glass on the wall again, amplifying the sound.

"Hey, this food is actually pretty good," I heard Cloud say, "I wonder who made it?"

"I dunno, but it is pretty tasty!" Tifa agreed.

_Progress, progress!_

I could hear the scooting chairs and footsteps of the two through my "stereo." Then I heard the sink go and I heard someone cleaning the dishes.

All I did was look at the ground and begin to cry silently. This whole time, all this planning, was all for nothing. They acted like it was nothing. They probably thought that it was a joke from their friends. _I guess I'll get used to living here..._

Just then, Vincent tapped my shoulder and pointed to the window for me to look at. When I looked through, Cloud and Tifa seemed to be having a serious conversation. I paid no attention and just looked away, sliding to the ground. I didn't care if they were to catch us.

Yuffie jerked my shoulder and forced me to look through the window. I was astonished to see that what I had read in fanfictions was actually coming true! There was Cloud Strife, placing his lips onto Tifa Lockhearts'! I squealed like a little girl when I saw this. How happy I was to see that my plan wasn't in vain! The others looked at me, and looked back at the window. When they saw Cloud and Tifa look through, they all tried to hide.

However, Cloud and Tifa opened the window, looked down, and smiled at us. "So _you _guys planned this? And were spying on us?" Tifa asked.

Those traitors all pointed their fingers at me, even Vincent! They gave me away! Despite how afraid I was that how Cloud would react, he didn't glare at me. I was glad for that. "You were the mastermind for all this?" he asked me, "How long did this take you?"

"Do you want an honest answer?" was my reply. He didn't say anything, so I took it as a yes. "Seven months."

Everybody opened their mouths in surprise.

Later that night, after a long lecture from both of them to all of us, particularly me, the others went home. Denzel and Marlene went with Barret, so it was just the three of us.

I closed my door excitedly and got ready for bed. Making sure it was locked, I got out my Cloud plushie and the pictures and took off my Dragonforce wristband. I looked at the picture of my friends and myself, then I looked around the room. This whole process had taken so long and I had grown to love everybody. Cloud got his wish, and already he looks brighter, like a glow had just hit him. I wondered what would happen if I had left tonight to go back home, back to my family. Just then, I heard a knock.

"Come in," I said as I was rushing to hide Cloud under the covers. It was Tifa.

She came in, smiling and looking happier than ever. "What drove you to do this?"

I laughed, "Well, I _did _ask you to give me a job, didn't I?" I managed to reply.

Tifa laughed this time, "I'm kinda glad I didn't give it to you sooner."

"Why?"

"Because," she began, "how else would you have been able to plan this for seven months? I'm not surprised, though. You sem like the type to do this." She pulled me into a hug, "Thank you, very much." She even kissed my head goodnight.

I debated to myself whether or not I should go back right now. Somehow, I managed to fall asleep.

* * *

"_Great job!" Zack and Aeris complimented, "You did great!" _

_My look didn't change at all. "What's wrong?" Aeris asked, "You've earned a wish. You can go home now!"_

_Zack asked me, "Yeah, doesn't that make you happy?"_

_I looked down. The white was blinding me; It had never done that before. "I'm... not sure if I wanna leave just yet." I told them. Their expressions became surprised. "I know it sounds weird, but I think they need me here. What would they think if I just left them? Cloud would think I had run away, and Tifa would probably be sad."_

_They looked at each other. "Is there any way to hold off my wish until I want to use it? Does it have to be my ticket home?"_

_Zack looked at me with a stern face, "It doesn't have to be, but it's recommended."_

"_Yeah," Aeris agreed, "You could wish for whatever you wanted. What do you want?"_

_I looked down, and thought. "I'm not sure, yet. I'll let you know as soon as possible_."

_Zack looked at me with curiosity in his eyes, "What makes you not wanna go home?_"

"_I'm not sure," I answered, "But something tells me that I should hold onto that wish."

* * *

_

I was glad when I woke up the next day, still in Midgar with Tifa and even Cloud.


	11. Fight

All right! I'm gonna go against the Mimic Queen! Thanks to DragonessWarrior for the tip! Just a couple more chapters to go! Suspense... anyways, we watched "Happy Feet" in art today because of the art show. But that doesn't matter. Enjoy this chapter!

--B. K. Siver

* * *

Two months had passed since that magical date that I had created. Cloud and Tifa had progressed from two friends to two people who were deeply in love. I was happy for both of them, even if Cloud was still the way he acted towards me. The two of us have progressed from having little to no conversations to having a whole paragraph from each other. I knew that wasn't much compared to what I was used to, but being how Cloud and I have acted towards each other before, it was a big move from one word phrases.

He never told me why he didn't like me. It wouldn't be so bad for me if I had known, because then I could just change myself to make him feel better. We still didn't get along very well. At least not around Tifa. We both knew that it would mean a lot to her if we tried. I _tried_. He was just so stubborn! I'd help Tifa the way I knew how, and he'd tall me how I was _supposed _to do it. Besides that, he would tell me how to draw my pictures and how to even work. I was very good at both of these things.

I was so fed up with this crap. It has been nine months since I had moved in with them and met the infamous Cloud Strife. Today was the day that I would confront him about it.

Of course, that would have to be when Tifa left. He hasn't been talking to me, though. Maybe she has already talked to him about it.

I left the house and walked around the marketplace for awhile, to buy some things before I went to work. I had on a heavy jacket because it was January, and snow fell pretty well in Midgar. The desert never had snow.

I also stopped at Aeris's church.

The chairs and everything else was to cold to sit on, but even during winter's heart, the flowers looked even more beautiful when they were natural ice sculptors. I could see the blue sparkle of the ice drip onto the field, while the light made it look diamond all the while.

"_What are you going to do about this, Brittney?" _Aeris asked. She was communicating through my mind.

"I'm going to confront him about it today." I replied.

"_Woah!" _Zack managed to breathe,_ "I don't like where this is going!"_

"Relax," I sighed, "It's just Cloud. I'll be calm about it."

Aeris sounded concerned,_ "I don't want you two to end up fighting..."_

"No worries! I'll be careful, Aeris and Zack. Shouldn't you be having fun in the afterlife anyways?"

I left before the two could say anything about what I had planned for today. Good thing it was a Saturday; I got to go to work late. The wind started to pick up as I could feel the temperature drop on my skin. I had goose bumps all over my arms, even though they were in my jacket! The frist thing I did when I walked inside was get some hot chocolate. I saw Cloud, sitting there in winter clothes, drinking his hot chocolate. He seemed like he was waiting for me.

"Where were you?" he asked. It was like being with Mama.

"Market," I replied. Then I thought it was the perfect time to ask him my question. I didn't bother giving him a warning about it, either. I wanted him to know that I knew how he felt. "Why do you hate me?"

He gave me a weird look, "What do you mean?"

I laughed, "What do you mean, 'what do I mean?' Ever since I've been here, you've been treating me like I was dirt. I've known." Cloud didn't say anything about what I just told him. In fact, he was going to walk out on me. "The hell you're going anywhere, Cloud! I demand answers!" I yelled.

He looked back, calmly, and took a deep breathe. "That day you first came here," he began, "I was going to call Tifa and tell her... that I loved her."

I glared at him. That was _not _a good enough reason. "Why?" I managed to say calmly, too. The key to winning this argument was to be calm, I understood that.

"Because I figured you'd ruin my chances. You were always there, and Tifa always talked about you."

Jealousy? Is that what this was about? "Are you serious?"

He looked down, and I took another breath. Evidently, he wasn't done yet. "There's one more thing: I still think you are."

I couldn't hold any of my control any longer. My anger was set free. "WHAT?!" I screamed, "HOW?! In case you haven't noticed, _I _was the genius behind that 'date!'"

"A lot of good that did. All it did was get me a big weight on my back, saying I should've done it," he explained to me.

"That's not my fault!" I yelled at him, "I got tired of waiting!"

He managed to raise his voice against mine, "Hey, we let you live here, don't you raise your voice against me!"

"What do you mean _we_," I glared, "Tifa let me in!"

"Who'd she ask? Me. And you wanna know something else? Life was better without you!" was the last he told me.

"_Fine! I'm not putting up with this_!" I yelled back at him. Without thinking, I grabbed my jacket and opened the door. I guess Cloud realized what he had said, because I heard the door open behind me. He grabbed my hand.

"Don't go out there, there's going to be a blizzard!" he ordered.

He was the reason my fangirl-ness had gone away, he was the reason why I didn't get all spastic when I saw him. I didn't control my anger enough to notice that my right hand shot up, and slapped him hard across the face, leaving an evident red mark across his left cheek. "You don't want me there, and that's that!" I yelled, and ran away from him. From the walking hell hole.

I walked around the town for three hours, managing to avoid Cloud if he looked for me. I didn't doubt it. Tifa would walk in on him and she wouldn't see me. I didn't care if I went back or not. He obviously could care less, too.

I finally got to Aeris's church after my walk. It was about six. _I should be at work right now..._ I brought my knees up to my chest, something I couldn't do well at first. That was one plus about being here; I lost weight. When I put my head in my knees, I began to cry.

"_You said you'd be calm," _Zack growled.

"I-I-I was..." I stuttered between tears.

"_You shouted at him, though, "_ Aeris told me.

"He shouted at me..." I cried.

"_He made you crack. You shouted first." _Zack pointed out

"I hate him!" I muttered in a voice so deep, it could have belonged to a demon.

"_You don't mean that,"_ Aeris assured me.

"Yes, I do!"

"_He didn't know what he was saying."_

"Yes, he did!"

Our conversation was broken when my cell phone rang and Cloud's theme played as the ringtone. I looked at the caller ID and it said, of all people, Cloud. I didn't want to talk to him, and out of anger I threw my phone on the floor. "Eff you, Cloud!" I yelled to the phone. My tears got worse after that statement. I began to cry harder than I have before. My fists were controlling themselves as I clenched them and repeatedly hit the floor.

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" I yelled again, "You ass! You jerk! I hate you!" The screams almost became demonic. I stopped after I noticed that I shattered the beauty of the flowers with my anger.

I noticed that one of the benches had managed to thaw out, so I laid on it to try and get some rest. Nobody has realized that I was in the church, so I laid down, and thought. My shivers and my chatters were the start of what was to become of me.

"Aeris, Zack," I said, "If they don't find me by tomorrow, I'm going back home."

None of them bothered to talk as I drifted to sleep, somehow, as the blizzard began to start.

* * *

I woke up, gasping for air. It was hot. I saw that there was a bed and– covers? I was no longer in the church, but in a room. It had purple everything, from the bed sheets to the curtains. When I looked to my side, there sat Allana, reading Memoirs of a Geisha. My thoughts became jumbled when I realized that I was no longer in Midgar, but home.

"Are you OK, Brittney?" she asked me. I must've looked pretty wacked out. "You look tense, did you have a nightmare?"

I tried to take a few deep breaths to take control of myself, before I would breakdown. "I just... I just..." How could this be? Nine months of a day-by-day lifestyle I had was just a dream?

"Brittney?!"

I glomped her, practically, hugging her and squeezing her tight in my arms. "I never thought I'd see you again!" I said happily, "I thought you were gone!" She looked sad when I said that. Then I remembered what I was supposed to do "nine" months ago. _I guess it was a nine hour dream..._ "I forgot... we have to take you to the airport..." I could feel my face become sad. Call me whatever, but it wasn't because Allana was leaving today.

It was because I would miss everyone back in Midgar. I started to cry. "Brittney, don't cry!" she tried to comfort me, "I'll see you in the summer time!"

I looked at her, tears flowing down my cheeks, "It's not that... I thought it was real..."

"What was real?"

"Yuffie, Vincent, Barret, Cid, Denzel, Marlene, Reno, Tifa, and..." I swallowed the lump in my throat, barely managing to say his name, "and... I thought Cloud was real, too."

She gave me a weird look. She must have been thinking I was weird. "What kind of dream was it?" she asked me.

I tried to think how I would tell her this: It was _only _months and months of being told that it _wasn't _a dream, and that I was _supposed _to be there. "I... I met everybody. I lived with Cloud and Tifa and met everyone else!" I explained, crying. She looked at me weird again, hugging me. "I thought it was all real! They're personalities and the food and the feel! I could feel pain in my dream, emotion, taste, all of it! I could do all of that!"

"How long did you 'live' with Cloud, Brittney?"

I swallowed all the muck that was going to come up. My heart jumped a few beats, and I was close to fainting. "Nine months..." I told her, "And in those nine months, all I felt, even anger, was real." She looked at me again, and I managed to smile at her, laughing just a little bit.

"What?"

"You'll never believe this, but I had a deep resentment towards Cloud... and he hated me, too." She looked astonished because, as far as she was concerned, I was one of the biggest fangirls she'd ever seen. "And get this," I added, "We even fought, which is why I woke up _here_." I had hoped that she didn't catch the way had said "here" with disgust in my tone.

* * *

;P This isn't exactly one of my best chapters... and certainly not the happiest! It'll get better from here... 


	12. Home

(Blushes) You guys make me feel great! It makes me happy that you all care about Brittney a lot! One more chapter to go!

B. K. Siver

* * *

For the rest of the day I kept spacing in and out of focus. I would have these memories of what Cloud and others and I have done together. Even after we dropped Allana off at the airport, I couldn't help but think about all my friends. Tomorrow I was going to go back to school, something I thought I hadn't done in nine months. Even having my first job and my sixteenth birthday... was that a dream, too?

"What's the matter, baby?" Mama asked me with concern. She teased me like that when I was down. It always cheered me up.

I sighed, and looked at her. I had been "nine months" since I had seen her face. "Nothing, I just love you."

She smiled, "I love you, too." She looked at my stepdad, "Wanna know what cheers me up when I'm down?"

He replied, "A swift kick in the ass."

"No, smartass," she laughed, "I meant Dairy Queen!" I hadn't seen my mom's and stepdad's joking around in forever, even though I knew it had actually only been a day in reality.

The taste of chocolate ice cream dissolved in my mouth. It'd been so long since I had ice cream! I remembered I bought some for Marlene and Denzel once upon a time...

_But that was just a dream._

We got back to the house and all my brothers were nice to me. Except for Andrew. He kept teasing me about Allana going to the airport and asking me if I had fun telling her goodbye. I didn't let it bother me; There were worse things. Like _not_ being able to tell your friends goodbye, for one.

My uncle cooked the tastiest dinner I had ever eaten. Everybody must've thought I was just weird from today. I still thought it had been nine months since I had eaten my uncle's cooking. Going to bed was a chore, too. I was used to a nine o' clock schedule, but now I had to go back to bed at eight.

I laid there, in my bed, pondering. How could that have been a dream? I felt everything, I saw everything, I remember _everything_. My cell phone, my job, my friends. I remembered them all. For old time's sake, I looked for my Cloud plushie. He was next to my bed, along with Kyo, Edward, Inuyasha and Kilala. Toma-Toma sat on top of my radio/alarm clock. The room had been as though I were there. Was I?

Despite all of my thoughts, I was out.

I woke up the next day a lot more comfortable– that was until I saw Allana reading her book. I freaked out; She got on the plane yesterday, right? I was completely speechless.

"Are you OK, Brittney?" she asked me. It was the same exact question from yesterday.

_Maybe I've lost it! _"Shouldn't you be at home?" I tried to say, but she cut me off.

"Brittney?!" was her same reaction. I didn't say anything. "Brittney, don't cry!" she tried to comfort me, "I'll see you in the summer time!" I wasn't crying, though. It was as though yesterday was on repeat. "What was real?"

"Certainly not this..." I replied.

"What kind of dream was it?" she asked me. OK, now I was _positive _I was losing it. "How long did you 'live' with Cloud, Brittney?"

I sighed, "Not long enough."

"What?"

I yelled at her, to see if she would have a different reaction, "I said, 'NOT LONG ENOUGH!'" She just looked away and said that it must've been a weird dream.

It was odd. Maybe yesterday was a dream, or on Saturday I must've dreamt two dreams that night: One with Final Fantasy and one about today. I couldn't tell if it was deja vu or not.

For the rest of the day, or yesterday, it was the same thing. I did the same thing with my parents, my uncle made the same food, and my brothers even said the exact same thing. To make sure my sanity was in check, I went up to my room. I looked and there, on my shelf, was Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. _I know that this can't be the real world, _I assured myself, _I know Aeris or Zack should have answers._

I plugged in the electricity and turned on my PlayStation 2. I didn't hesitate to put in the first disc and wait to see if Aeris would show up. Nothing. The only thing that played was the menu. The next thing I did was press "x" on my controller to play the movie. Hopefully, it would work.

"Ha! I knew you'd realize it sooner or later!" Zack told me over the TV screen.

I banged on the screen, "You... take me back!"

Aeris walked into the screen, "You said to take you back if they didn't find you tomorrow."

"But they didn't find me yet!" I screamed at the TV. Zack laughed at how I was acting, but Aeris looked worried. "Take me back!" I begged.

"To where?" Zack pestered me.

"To home!" I demanded. Tears began to spew out of my eyes.

I could feel Aeris's glare to me on the screen. "Take you home to who?" she questioned.

I cried some more, trying to muster the courage together to tell them. They knew who I wanted to go back to. They wanted me to tell them, to admit that I was wrong. "To... Cloud," I whispered finally, "I want to tell him I'm... sorry."

Just then, my surroundings became white, and I vanished.

* * *

I couldn't move when I woke up. Even though I was glad that I was back in Aeris's church, I couldn't smile. The redness, I could feel, that were once my lips were cracked and sore and chapped from the freezing air. My body, which was moveable the night before, was numb and frozen. I could see that my hand was white. Even though I wasn't really one to brag about my skin tone, and even though it was a little darker than the others', my body would probably look like a corpse from afar.

My body shivered violently from the temperature being so cold. It hurt a lot to be moving so fast in so little time. "C-C-Cloud-d-d..." I barely managed to whisper. My teeth jittered with my body, and I feared that I would bite my tongue right off my mouth. I couldn't move, so I laid there, waiting for something to happen. I didn't care what it was; It could've been my death, even. That was the only thing to look forward if nobody could find me.

I almost drifted to sleep again when I heard the church door slam open. I could hear an assorted amount of voices calling my name. The one I recognized most was Cloud's. It was terrible that I couldn't respond because my teeth kept clicking together repeatedly. I couldn't wave either because I was in too much pain to move. When I didn't respond, I heard their footsteps practically give the church an earthquake feeling.

The bench moved from my shaking, and I heard the footsteps of someone big come to my side. "Brittney! Brittney, are you all right?!" Cloud's voice asked as he took off his jacket hurriedly and put it on me as though it were a blanket. He picked me up and held me, like I weighed nothing, and held me close to his chest.

"Y-y-you're s-so-so warm-m..." I kept stuttering between my chills.

He tried to make me cheerful, "No, you're just really cold." He even smiled at me.

I could feel everyone else talk to me and telling me that they were glad that I was all right. We all went in this really big truck-car type thing(I was to cold to know what it was) and drove off. I could feel everybody put on some blankets and carry me into the house that I was so used to.

They put me on my bed and put what felt like a billion blankets on me. I didn't care. I managed to stop shivering because of it.

Everybody waited inside the room with me. Cloud, Tifa, Marlene, Denzel, Yuffie, Vincent, Cid, and Reno were waiting alongside me.

"I'm sorry..." I apologized in a soft voice, "I'm so sorry I scared everyone..."

I could tell that the others were trying really hard at not giving me a few pieces of their minds. Tifa, however, held my hands and rubbed them to keep them warm, "It doesn't matter right now. You're safe. That's all that matters."

I looked at Cloud, who was silent. He just looked away from me, from everybody. Tifa whispered something to him, and they all walked out. Everybody but him.

"I didn't mean what I said to you yesterday, Britt." he told me.

I looked at him, "I realize that, now."

"It's just that..."

"What?"

"You became a like a little sister to me. I couldn't help but feel as though I had to protect you."

"By pushing me away?"

I looked ashamed, "These last two months," he paused, "I was just acting naturally towards you. I tried not to. I really did."

I smiled, "Why?"

"Because... you're a part of our family, that's why." he smiled at me when he had said that. I felt much lighter, probably because Cloud and I had made our amends, at last. "You look like you need your rest. I'll leave you be." He began to walk out, but I stopped him.

"Thank you," I told him, "big brother." He looked at me. "Do you mind if I call you that?"

He smiled at me again, his "Cloud blue" eyes glowed for the first time since I had been here. "No," he replied, and walked out of my room and closed the door.

Before I knew it, I was asleep in my comfortable bed, knowing that my family would always be by my side. I accepted that now.


	13. Reminiscence:Should I Stay or Go?

Well, it has been fun writing this, I'll tell you! I'm sure you guys had fun reading it. I was careful to make as many chapters as there were Final Fantasy games! Well, since you guys seemed to like this enough, I was thinking about a sequel. What do you think? I've got it all planned out in my mind. But that's if you guys want it to be. Speak in the review or forever hold your peace!

B. K. Siver

P.S. Thanks to all of you who have read and/or reviewed this! You are who made me want to finish something, for once!

* * *

I laid on my bed after I woke up. My brain had finally turned back on and I began to remember all the things I had done.

First, I woke up here on this bed nine months ago. I definitely thought this whole thing was a dream, at first. But that was before I began to know everybody. I realized that even if they were just part of some game or movie, they were practically real. They felt pain, love, sickness, and other things. It wasn't long before I was accepted by everybody. Everybody except one.

Cloud Strife.

From the beginning, he had no liking of me whatsoever. My fangirl half of me practically died because Cloud was so strict around me. He always ordered me around, and we hardly ever talked. That was before something good happened.

I had managed to get Cloud and Tifa together.

It wasn't an easy process. It took me seven months of planning and re-planning for perfection. I wanted it to work on the first try. I was so happy it did. That meant that I could get away from here; I could go home.

That was what Zack and Aeris had kept telling me. It was their idea to bring me here. They told me that they wanted Cloud's happiness assured; They were tired of him practically killing himself over them. As a reward for my completed mission, I got one wish.

I didn't use it.

Two months ago, my mind told me that I had to keep it for some reason, so I asked Zack and Aeris to hold it until I was ready. They have since I asked.

Then two days ago, Cloud and I had gotten into a fight. I was hurt by what he had told me, so I ran away. I didn't care if there was going to be a blizzard that night. As long as I was away from him, I was happy.

But I wasn't. I cried and cried and Aeris told me to go back and apologize. I was stubborn and told Zack and Aeris that if they didn't find me by tomorrow night, I was to go home. It wasn't until I fell asleep that my world went crazy.

Zack and Aeris had created a miniature dimension for me, thinking that I was home in my dream. I thought I was home for real. They made me realize that if I were to wish to go home because of a stupid fight, I would be incredibly sorry.

Sorry I was.

I begged them to bring me back, even though I never truly left in the first place. When I woke up, everyone was concerned about my condition. Cloud, especially.

We made our apologies and made amends.

"_So," _Zack asked, _"What will you do now?"_

"_Yes," Aeris chimed, "What will you do? Will you stay or will you go?"_

I smiled. I didn't hesitate for my answer. "They need me here, you guys. Even though I miss my family, they need me here," I explained, "All I've been hearing is that when I went missing, they were all worried about me. Their light disappeared." I laughed, "That was what Tifa told me.

"Besides," I continued, "What would happen to them if I were to leave? Would they be able to continue on with their lives? "

"_Not exactly," _Zack answered.

I laughed again, smiling as I got out of bed. "Well then, I've decided," I began to say, "I've decided to stay. I don't wanna leave _home_. My _family_."

* * *

Well, the mind for a sequel is still open! 


End file.
